Any tips for visiting Olympic Park please

[lorisparkle]

We are off to visit the park on Tuesday with a 6 year old and 4 year old. I am feeling rather anxious about the whole thing and hoping that there will be some fab MNetters who have already been and can give us some handy tips! We are travelling by car then by tube. Would a buggy be a help or a hindrance, buy or take food, places to visit, etc etc

TIA

We went to the first session of the athletics today.
The stadium itself is excellent, the competition was amazing, the atmosphere was fantastic, we will never forget it as long as we live.

BUT

The queues for the merchandise superstore were like nothing I have ever seen and the games makers around the queue were flustered and short tempered, they didn't really know what to do with the sheer volume of people.
This was a big shame as all the other games makers were brilliant, helpful and knowledgable.
I think it's crazy, the games has cost a fortune to put on and there was money to be made from merchandise but lots of potential customers were put off by the length of the queue. It's basic business sense to make it easy for people to spend their money!

It was a long walk to get in and out of the park and back to public transport.
The volume of people meant that you couldn't walk quickly,it was more of a steady shuffle.
Wear trainers, the woman in front of me kept falling off of her wedges!

If you have the (more expensive) seats at the bottom then lucky you but if it rains you will get wet, take a waterproof or umbrella, or both.

Needless to say public transport was rammed.
The Olympic transport helpers at stations are excellent, speak to them if you need transport help.

Also I forgot to say they've run out of GB flags at the Olympic park.
Take your own.

Can I ask a quick question about the Games Travel Card? Do they arrive in the post with our tickets? Or do we have to collect them from somewhere?

Betty They should come with your tickets.

Thanks again for tips, today's hockey (go team GB!!) was fantastic. Maybe we were lucky but transport there and back was great and no wait for security. My kids' favourite things were the schools' garden (opposite EDF) which was very pretty, peaceful and did face painting and also the band stand between the velodrome and riverside arena - mascot appearances and grass to picnic/run around. If you're going to the hockey and are in the east stand bring hats and sunblock!

Just back. Had fab time. Volunteers could not have been nicer. Second recommendations for schools garden. Wandering along the riverside and through the various floral areas also just beautiful.

Top tip if you're doing Olympic Park on a budget is that The Entertainer in the bottom floor of Westfield Stratford has heavily discounted Wenlock/Mandeville/Team GB cuddly lions of all sizes and Model Zone next door has other cut price souvenirs, so you could pick a cuddly toy up for DCs right at the beginning of the day and brave the queues and prices of the shops inside the park at all. Waitrose will also sell you a reasonably priced picnic.

And FitFlops FitFlops FitFlops. There is a lot of walking and it is all about the comfy shoes.

Errm that should read "not brave the prices and queues of shops in the Park at all".

We went (with DDs aged 7 and 3) to see GB's women play handball this morning. We left home (SE London) just before 7am and were in the park itself an hour later. The DLR journey up to Stratford was as straightforward as it is ordinarily. The main difference was that there were no through trains from Lewisham to Stratford but we changed at Mudchute so as to get seats before billions of other people got on at Canary Wharf.

Taking the pushchair for DD2 was a godsend - she has hypermobile lower limbs and tires very quickly so we tend to take it as back-up for days out. Having the pushchair meant that we avoided a number of queues and were well looked after by the Police, Armed Forces and Games Makers. Labels were provided at the buggy storage place outside the Copper Box although I'd already labelled mine (having been in the Guides once upon a time ). Our water bottles were refilled at the coffee kiosk inside the Copper Box - completely free and without anyone minding that we didn't buy anything from the kiosk. We took bagels as a second breakfast plus numerous snacks but did buy some lunch from the Thai and noodle places near the basketball arena later on.

We had a wonderful day out. The Coca Cola beatbox was a hit with the girls and the photographs taken with Olympic torches at the top (the only accessible open view from the top of a building apparently) have downloaded brilliantly and the surprise inside the venue is something the girls have talked about all day. We were lucky as we queued for maybe as much as 3 minutes to get in but were told that 45 minutes has been the norm. Toilets everywhere were clean and easy to find, no queues experienced at all. The water in the hand basins was too hot but that was my only complaint about the Olympic Park. Although there were thousands of people there today, it didn't feel crowded or unsafe as a result. Park Live was where we ate our lunch, soaking up the friendly and supportive atmosphere.

My top tip? Put a sticky label on your young DCs' backs with their initial and surname e.g. A.Smith with your mobile number underneath. Knowing that our 3-year-old had a Paddington-style label on offered some peace of mind in case of getting separated (not that it happened).

The journey back was as straightforward as the one 10 hours earlier. Personally, I didn't feel Stratford station felt any busier than it has done on weekends/school holiday occasions that I've taken the girls up to Discover... the number of Police in the station itself seemed about normal but today's officers definitely seemed to be more friendly than usual.

All in all, a great day. I'd love to go up to the Olympic Park again but have had no luck getting Paralympic tickets that aren't during school (DH and I are both teachers).

Great tip about 'labelling' the children we bought some special wristbands from 'easy2name'. You write your childs details on the inside and then put then on their wrist. We explained to the older ones that they had mummy and daddys mobile number on in case they got lost but they are also labelled with 'if lost cut here'. They are very reassuring!

Half price Wenlock and Mandeville at Tesco.

We picked up 2 kids T shirts for £10 each too whereas they are £14 each in the Park.

We went yesterday as managed to get last minute tickets on Friday night to the womens hockey.

What a brilliant and fantastic day. The volunteers are so friendly, a great vibe everywhere you go.

Queues for security not bad at all.

Javelin train from St Pancras to Stratford is quick and easy, again no queues but crowded.

TIP if you have last minute print-at-home tickets they won't scan on the gate - the barcode numbers have to be entered manually.

Write your mobile number directly on the DC's arm with biro.

If you want a FREE photo with the torch, head for the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden and the Olympic Journey exhibition. At the end a photographer takes your pic with the torch, which you can download when you get home

The Great British garden is lovely, this is where there is free face painting for children, activities and sports for them to try.

Nice to have some grass to sit down on too. We had brought a picnic so had it here.

We went to both athletics sessions yesterday.

We arrived at about 8am for the 10am start. It was quiet at Waterloo, and the Jubilee line comfortably busy. We got off at Stratford and it was fine. The moment you get off the train there are enthusiastic games makers anticipating a n exciting day ahead.

You are quickly marshalled into lanes, which makes you think you must be entering the Olympic park straightaway, but it is a good 20 minute walk. Security is so massive that we never stopped to queue at all - we just kept on walking. They said to empty all liquids before the first metal detector. As we didn't have any, that didn't apply to us. Your bags go into a plastic tray, and you are asked to empty pockets. You do not have to open or take anything out of your bag, or remove belts and shoes, as you would at the airport.

We had breakfast in a real restaurant, located across from the Park Live big screen. Surprisingly, none of the kiosks we saw had traditional breakfast foods, but we were able to sit down and have a full English in the restaurant.

There wasn't a queue for the megastore when we went in. The merchandise looked about the same price as the Olympics store in John Lewis.

There were queues for some water points, and others were empty. Don't feel you have to stand in a long queue. In the stadium area, the taps are all walk-up.

We picked up sandwiches in Waterloo, but more because our athletics session went on till almost 2pm. I didn't find the prices outrageous when compared with theme parks, for example. We figured we were there and not going to spoil the day by penny-pinching, so did pay rather a lot for a couple of bottles of wine and some beers (if you want a beer get a draught pint for the same price as a bottle).

Leaving at the end of the day was obviously crowded, but so well marshalled that it could go wrong. Mobility and prams had their own lanes. They were packing the Jubilee trains, but if you need to get on with a buggy, I would suggest just waiting for a few minutes to get on first on a new train, and head along the platform away from the crowds.

If you are travelling from outside London, buy your train ticket online at a special Games fare. You get a very good discount and can combine it with your F&F railcards and then spend the savings on overpriced wine.

ClaireRacing You must have had a fantastic day!

Agree with Claireracing about the Games Train Fares. DH and the Dc went to Weymouth yesterday for the sailing and special fare was half the normal fare

We're off to the athletics on Wed morning. What time does the Olypmic Park open? TIA.

It was pretty amazing, Tilly :)

The stadium is open very early. When we arrived before 8am, it looked like it had been open for ages. We arrived in Stratford station at 7.35am, and the games makers were out in force.

8am felt very early to arrive for a 10am athletics session. I wouldn't recommend going through the stadium ticket checkpoint until 30 minutes before the start of action.

I was at the shooting yesterday and couldn't find any water fountains, so filled my water bottle from the tap in the loos (portaloo blocks). I've had a bit of a dodgy tummy ever since, so would advise against this!

Few questions about athletics with v small children (1 month and 3 yrs)
Once i am in the stadium is there anywhere to do a quick nappy change if needed (eg corridor behind seats?)

Anyone know which rows will be dry if it rains (our seats are mid price)

How much hassle is taking a buggy?

Where exactly are the water fountains?

Thanks in advance - will post after Wed with my tips!

There is no "behind the seats" area, and your legroom is fairly tight. The bathrooms are a fine place for changing nappies.

You should be dry if yor seat is in Row 45 or higher, even with a wind in you face.

The water fountains in the stadium area are behind the food outlets, ie on the outer ring of all the buildings.

Thank you. Will change nappy first thing and hope for the best!

the eton manor gate is almost deserted so you can get off at leyton one stop away from stratford and walk through if your event is in the north of the park. It is signposted. not so good for small children unless in buggies as a little further to walk